#oxfam midlands | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wmshappen · 5 years

Photo

For international Women’s Day, we asked some of the team about their experiences working at WMSH.

1. Tell us about your role at WMSH.

Megan: As Senior Creative Producer, I am fortunate enough to work across experiential campaigns, stunts, events and festivals, from pitch stage right through to delivery and management. Part of my role includes idea generation in response to creative briefs from clients. Ideas then must be articulated through visualisations, which either myself or the design team will undertake, budgets, which show a greater level of detail on build and materials, and written content on how the idea aims to benefit the client. My role then involves producing successful projects, which can include sourcing and liaising with build and materials suppliers and venues, logistics, working with the design team to create any assets that may be required and so on.

Lorna: I am an Event Producer at We Make Stuff Happen. There are many different aspects to my role, which I like. I work on the creative and production process ahead of events and can be found on site at some of the live events. I also work closely with all of our clients leading up to jobs, as well as meeting potential clients.

Lucy: I have recently joined WMSH as a Creative Producer. The role involves taking briefs from clients, creative brainstorming with the WMSH team, budgeting and supplying costs for every aspect of the project, and liaising with the workshop to ensure production runs smoothly to bring the ideas to life.

JD: I’m Co-founder, which as job titles go is gloriously undefined. Day-to-day, I oversee the creative on most of our projects, drawing on my background in advertising to ensure whatever we’re proposing has the client’s message at its heart, and sign off every budget that goes out the door. I’m a big picture thinker who hates stagnating, so I’m also very focused on strategy and where we’re going as a company. I oversee our business development team, spend a lot of time analysing how we work and seeing where and how we can do better, seeking out new opportunities, and making plans for WMSH’s future.

Alice: I'm a Senior Event Producer at WMSH. I work with clients to budget and plan their events, from conception, right up to the day of the event, where I'll then be onsite as the Production Manager or Event Manager, putting the plans into action and problem solving anything that arises. I split my time between working remotely from home in Glasgow, and travelling for client meetings and events, mostly to London and the Midlands, but have also worked on WMSH events in New York, Ibiza and Berlin.

2. What do you most enjoy about working at WMSH?

Megan: I love that every day in the office is different. You might be looking at how to make a water-tight umbrella from an old tent one day, and then a giant sculpture made from plastic waste the next. Every time the email pings with a new brief, it is impossible to guess what we might be asked to achieve. I’d say my favourite aspect of the job is generating ideas in response to client briefs. We will often be given an idea of what the stunt or campaign needs to deliver, in terms of generation PR coverage, or simply getting people through the door, and I enjoy working within the parameters to come up with something that will give the client bang for their buck.

JD: Building a community of likeminded people and getting a chance to create the change I want to see in the world. Growing up, my life was very unstable and I lived in an area where there were few opportunities and high economic and cultural poverty. That taught me that work (or the lack of it) can cause stress, distress, and hardship on both an individual and a wider social scale. Because of that, I see it as a responsibility to create good quality jobs and secure interesting work for us all, and to offer opportunities to people who might not otherwise have access to them. One of the founding principles of WMSH is that the team can do more together than any of us could alone, and seeing that in action every day is a fantastic privilege.

Lucy: What I love most about this role, having come from a similar background, is the complete diversity in projects that we get to be involved in. The creative scope is endless and allows you to really use your creativity and imagination.

Alice: No day is like another. There's always something different happening and new conundrums to solve. I don't think I could do a job that was the same every day. Every project is different and even the events we work on annually always come with new challenges and developments. WMSH is growing, so I'm always learning, and constantly getting the opportunity to take on bigger and more complex projects. I love getting to know our clients, figuring out how they work, what they need, and how we can do the best job for them. People don't always know exactly what they want, or what they need, and I enjoy taking their vision, and trying to create that for them. Occasionally I've had the pleasure of getting the WMSH office number diverted to my mobile, and that's always a fun day. It's a constant stream of bizarre calls...."We want to create a giant egg, that gets up and walks around". I love taking something like that and breaking it down...."ok, no problem....when you say giant, is that as big as a person, as big as a van, or as big as a house...?"

Lorna: What I most enjoy about working at WMSH is that no two days are the same. We get endless amounts of weird and wonderful requests which keep us excited for a run down every time the phone rings with a new brief.

3. Any dream clients or projects that you’d love to work with or on?

Lucy: I love detail and colour, the application of textures and multiple fabrications. The more bonkers the better. Some of the creations at festivals are among the most jaw- dropping and innovative. I would love to be involved in a creative installation for ‘Burning Man’ or to work with Morag Myerscough & Luke Morgan on their fun and colourful and interactive creations.

Lorna: My background is in hospitality and I am very passionate about food and drink, so I would love to work with some more big brands or festivals that are in this field.

JD: We’re very lucky in that dream projects come in all the time. I always love working with causes, whether it’s an organisation campaigning for Living Wage, sustainability, human rights or something for Pride. I enjoy the challenge of delivering something inspiring that might not have a massive budget, and there’s nothing more gratifying than seeing the general public interact positively with something that has a real message to it. It’s always good to have a reminder that most people are kind, generous of spirit, and open to change.

Alice: Glastonbury. WMSH did do a project at Glastonbury with Oxfam, which unfortunately I wasn't involved in, but as someone who loves to work on festivals, getting to see behind the scenes of the biggest festival there is, is an ambition. I've heard that it's organised like many mini-festivals, all knitted together, and it would be awesome if WMSH ever got to run one of those. Also, it's an ambition of mine to work with Nickelback. Shoot me down if you must, I know it's silly, and they say never meet your idols, but my career goal has always been that one day our trajectories will meet, and I'll get to work on a Nickelback show. I got to work with Theory of a Deadman once ("Nickelback-lite" for those who don't know them). They invited me onto their tour bus for drinks after the show, and I'll never forgive the polite English girl inside of me who (before I knew what she was saying) said "oh no, thank you, but I must be heading home". I want to work on a Dolly Parton show too - she's so talented, and seems like such a professional, it would be amazing to see her set up up close.

Megan: I have always loved and admired Guinness as brand, from its mad, conceptual advertising campaigns to the weird and wonderful experiential activities that it undertakes. I would love to receive a good chunky brief from them to create something totally new and inspiring. We recently worked with Oxfam on a summer-long campaign around creating awareness around clothing wastage in the UK, and ultimately asking people to pledge support to make better choices in the future. The project turned into a bit of a dream brief, which involved huge amounts of creativity from the team, and an array of beautifully made campaign materials as a result.

4. Tell us something about yourself outside of work.

Megan: I have a very busy household with two boys, Herbie (4) and Bon (2), we are soon to be joined by a third who is yet to be named. To add to the chaos, we have three dogs, which have been described as akin to small horses in size, Bully, Buddy and Florence. Phew.

Alice: I go to a lot of gigs, and buy a lot of CDs. I play on a netball team, The Glasgow Flames, currently in Division 3 of the local league. I'm also on the committee for the club, helping build our ranks and develop the club. I am married to Graeme, a doctor of Engineering at the University of Glasgow. We live with 2 ferrets and 2 pole cats (who I love) and a terrapin/angry rock (who I do not). While I've not played as much in the last 5 years or so, I also play the guitar and sing. My favourite musical achievements were getting played on Radio 1 with a song I wrote, playing to a thousand people at the St Andrews grad ball, and at the St Andrews Rock Music Society Reunion Ball, standing on a table, and belting out Don't Stop Believing to a pumped up crowd, while wearing high heels and gothic fairy wings. That was a lot of fun.

Lorna: When I am not in WMSH HQ or on site with a hi vis on, I can be found eating out in the evening with friends or my boyfriend, Will. I spend most of my weekend days going for long walks around Brighton with my dog, Reuben, binging on Netflix series or swimming.

Lucy: I am kept very busy by my two kids Noah and Lottie who love to hear about all the different projects I get to work on. Bikram yoga keeps me sane and allows me to dream of being in a hotter climate. I try to get to music and comedy gigs as often as I can.

JD: I’m a voracious consumer of music and former DJ, so in my free time I’m usually listening to the radio, trawling Spotify, or crate diving. I enjoy a mooch around secondhand shops and flea markets looking for bizarre objects no one else will love, collect and propogate succulents, and also read a lot of Stoic philosophy in the ongoing pursuit of a calm, worthwhile, and happy life.

0 notes

bluemagic-girl · 5 years

Text

Five dead and 21 injured after ‘white male’ opens fire in Texas

Five people have been killed and another 21 injured in a mass shooting in west Texas, police have said.

Officers initially said that two shooters may have been at large. Later, they said those fears had proven unfounded, with the lone attacker having used two vehicles.

The shooter who opened fire in Midland and Odessa was a white male in his 30s, the Odessa Police Department said.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

Subscribe now

The incident began when a highway patrol officer stopped the driver and was shot, at about 3.17pm on Saturday. The shooter then drove into Odessa and onto the city’s 42nd Street, where many of his victims were shot. He then hijacked a postal van, causing more casualties, police said.

Midland police posted on Facebook that the gunman had eventually been shot and killed outside a Cinergy cinema.

leftCreated with Sketch. rightCreated with Sketch.

1/50 31 August 2019

A man sits in front of riot officers during the rally ‘Calling One Hundred Thousands Christians Praying for Hong Kong Sinners’ in Hong Kong, China

EPA

2/50 30 August 2019

A migrant forces his way into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Over 150 migrants made their way into Ceuta after storming a barbed-wire border fence with Morocco

AFP/Getty

3/50

A beagle jumps through hoops during a show at the Pet Expo Championship 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Although the four-day expo is primarily dog oriented it features a wide array of stalls catering to pet owners’ needs as well as showcasing a variety of animals including reptiles, birds, ferrets, and rabbits.

EPA

4/50 28 August 2019

Baby elephants rub their trunks against a tree at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Countries that are part of an international agreement on trade in endangered species agreed on Tuesday to limit the sale of wild elephants, delighting conservationists but dismaying some of the African countries involved.

5/50 27 August 2019

Burning rubbles in the market of Bouake, central Ivory Coast, after a fire broke overnight.

AFP/Getty

6/50 26 August 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second from left, sits between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they take part in a meeting at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France.

The Canadian Press via AP

7/50 25 August 2019

A Brazillian Air Force jet drops water to fight a fire in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Rondonia, Brazil.

EPA

8/50 24 August 2019

A police officer prepares to strike a protester as clashes erupt during a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Bay.

AFP/Getty

9/50 23 August 2019

Oxfam activists in costumes depicting leaders of the G7 nations protest in Biarritz, France on the day before the summit is due to be held there.

AFP/Getty

10/50 22 August 2019

A vendor sits as she sells models of the Hindu deity Krishna on display at a roadside ahead of the ‘Janmashtami’ festival in Chennai.

11/50 21 August 2019

A girl reacts next to Pope Francis as he leads the weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.

Reuters

12/50 20 August 2019

A masked dancer takes part in the Nil Barahi mask dance festival, an annual event during which dancers perform while posing as various deities that people worship to seek blessings, in Bode, Nepal.

Reuters

13/50 19 August 2019

Protesters take to the street to face off with Indonesian police in Manokwari, Papua. The riots broke out, with a local parliament building being torched, as thousands protested allegations that police tear-gassed and arrested students who supported the restive region’s independence.

AFP/Getty

14/50 18 August 2019

People survey the destruction after an overnight suicide bomb explosion that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 63 people, mostly wedding guests from the Shi’ite Muslim community, were killed and more than 180 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding hall.

EPA

15/50 17 August 2019

A man retrieves his prize after climbing up a greased pole during a competition held as part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta. Indonesia is celebrating its 74th anniversary of independence from the Dutch colonial rule.

16/50 16 August 2019

Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th “Jeux du Castrum”, a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland.

AFP/Getty

17/50 15 August 2019

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow during a memorial service ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two, in Tokyo, Japan.

Reuters

18/50 14 August 2019

A woman walks with a Kashmir’s flag to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan’s 72nd Independence Day at the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan.

Reuters

19/50 13 August 2019

The extraordinary moment a volcano erupted, shooting luminous hot lava from the surface, as a lightning bolt striked the centre of the mountain. Photographer Martin Reitze, 55, captured rare images of volcanic ash escaping from the Ebeko volcano in Russia whilst the lightning froze the ash cloud in time. Martin, from Munich, was standing around a kilometre away from the northern crater of the volcano when it erupted. The volcano expert said: “The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual.”

Martin Reitze/SWNS

20/50 12 August 2019

People swim in a public bath pool in Zalakaros, Hungary. Some regions of the country have been issued the highest grade of warning by the National Meteorological Service as the temperatures may reach 33-38 centigrade.

EPA

21/50 11 August 2019

A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong.

AFP/Getty

22/50 10 August 2019

Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

23/50 9 August 2019

Waves hit a sea wall in front of buildings in Taizhou, China’s eastern Zhejiang province. China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall.

AFP/Getty

24/50 8 August 2019

A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy.

EPA

25/50 7 August 2019

Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan.

Reuters

26/50 6 August 2019

Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum.

AFP/Getty

27/50 5 August 2019

Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main’s station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security.

AFP/Getty

28/50 4 August 2019

Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius.

Reuters

29/50 3 August 2019

Pramac Racing’s rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The race will take place on 4 August.

EPA

30/50 2 August 2019

An extremely rare Pink Meanie jellyfish on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The Pink Meanie was discovered during a nightlight jellyfish dive by the collections team in the waters around Robben Island and in Cape Town Harbour. Pink Meanies are jellyvorous, meaning they feed on other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles. Discovering the Pink Meanie in its early ephyra stage meant the team could study its growth rate which turned out to be very quick as it grew to the metaephyra stage in about a week and a half. The Mexican pink meanie (Drymonema larsoni) was only discovered in the year 2000. A Mediterranean relative, known as the Big Pink Jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatinum) has been known to science since the 1800s but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting. These jellies are incredibly rare and this new South African species is no exception.

EPA

31/50 1 August 2019

Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City.

AFP/Getty

32/50 31 July 2019

A woman rows a boat through the lotus plants on the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The lake is a popular tourist destination because of its floating gardens and lotus flowers.

EPA

33/50 30 July 2019

An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Reuters

34/50 29 July 2019

Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Ballons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France.

Reuters

35/50 28 July 2019

Anti-extradition bill protesters with umbrellas attend a rally against the police brutality in Hong Kong.

EPA

36/50 27 July 2019

A general view of stalls closed following yesterday’s volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia.

Reuters

37/50 26 July 2019

Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong.

AFP/Getty

38/50 25 July 2019

The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire.

AFP/Getty

39/50 24 July 2019

Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election.

Reuters

40/50 23 July 2019

People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris.

EPA

41/50 22 July 2019

Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila.

AFP/Getty

42/50 21 July 2019

Protesters run from tear gas, fired by police, after a march against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. The masked protesters covered the walls of China’s office in Hong Kong with eggs and graffiti following another massive rally.

AFP/Getty

43/50 20 July 2019

Fans line the streets of Algiers to see the national Algerian football team take part in an open-top bus parade following their victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. They were celebrating their second Cup of Nations win, 29 years after their first triumph in 1990.

AFP/Getty

44/50 19 July 2019

The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission is celebrated in a 17-minute show, “Apollo 50: Go for the Moon” which combined full-motion projection-mapping artwork on the Washington Monument and archival footage to recreate the launch of Apollo 11.

Nasa/AP

45/50 18 July 2019

A pupil from Northlen Primary school sticks a poster of former president Nelson Mandela on a chalkboard, as they mark his birthday in Durban. July 18, marks 101 years since the birth of Mandela in 1918.

AFP/Getty

46/50 17 July 2019

Firefighters rush to the scene to put out a fire that spread to parked cars in Jerusalem, following an extreme heat wave.

AFP/Getty Images

47/50 16 July 2019

Rescuers work at the site of collapsed building in Dongri area of Mumbai, India.

EPA

48/50 15 July 2019

A motorist drives past a destroyed house after a large earthquake that hit Surigao City, in the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines.

AFP/Getty Images

49/50 14 July 2019

French Gendarmes remove fences next to a burning portable toilet during clashes with protesters on the Champs Elysees avenue after the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France.

Reuters

50/50 13 July 2019

A recortador jumps over a bull during a contest in a bullring at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.

Reuters

1/50 31 August 2019

A man sits in front of riot officers during the rally ‘Calling One Hundred Thousands Christians Praying for Hong Kong Sinners’ in Hong Kong, China

EPA

2/50 30 August 2019

A migrant forces his way into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Over 150 migrants made their way into Ceuta after storming a barbed-wire border fence with Morocco

AFP/Getty

3/50

EPA

4/50 28 August 2019

5/50 27 August 2019

Burning rubbles in the market of Bouake, central Ivory Coast, after a fire broke overnight.

AFP/Getty

6/50 26 August 2019

The Canadian Press via AP

7/50 25 August 2019

A Brazillian Air Force jet drops water to fight a fire in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Rondonia, Brazil.

EPA

8/50 24 August 2019

A police officer prepares to strike a protester as clashes erupt during a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Bay.

AFP/Getty

9/50 23 August 2019

Oxfam activists in costumes depicting leaders of the G7 nations protest in Biarritz, France on the day before the summit is due to be held there.

AFP/Getty

10/50 22 August 2019

A vendor sits as she sells models of the Hindu deity Krishna on display at a roadside ahead of the ‘Janmashtami’ festival in Chennai.

11/50 21 August 2019

A girl reacts next to Pope Francis as he leads the weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.

Reuters

12/50 20 August 2019

A masked dancer takes part in the Nil Barahi mask dance festival, an annual event during which dancers perform while posing as various deities that people worship to seek blessings, in Bode, Nepal.

Reuters

13/50 19 August 2019

AFP/Getty

14/50 18 August 2019

EPA

15/50 17 August 2019

16/50 16 August 2019

Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th “Jeux du Castrum”, a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland.

AFP/Getty

17/50 15 August 2019

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow during a memorial service ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two, in Tokyo, Japan.

Reuters

18/50 14 August 2019

Reuters

19/50 13 August 2019

Martin Reitze/SWNS

20/50 12 August 2019

EPA

21/50 11 August 2019

A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong.

AFP/Getty

22/50 10 August 2019

Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

23/50 9 August 2019

AFP/Getty

24/50 8 August 2019

EPA

25/50 7 August 2019

Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan.

Reuters

26/50 6 August 2019

AFP/Getty

27/50 5 August 2019

AFP/Getty

28/50 4 August 2019

Reuters

29/50 3 August 2019

Pramac Racing’s rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The race will take place on 4 August.

EPA

30/50 2 August 2019

EPA

31/50 1 August 2019

Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City.

AFP/Getty

32/50 31 July 2019

EPA

33/50 30 July 2019

An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Reuters

34/50 29 July 2019

Reuters

35/50 28 July 2019

Anti-extradition bill protesters with umbrellas attend a rally against the police brutality in Hong Kong.

EPA

36/50 27 July 2019

A general view of stalls closed following yesterday’s volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia.

Reuters

37/50 26 July 2019

Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong.

AFP/Getty

38/50 25 July 2019

The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire.

AFP/Getty

39/50 24 July 2019

Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election.

Reuters

40/50 23 July 2019

People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris.

EPA

41/50 22 July 2019

Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila.

AFP/Getty

42/50 21 July 2019

AFP/Getty

43/50 20 July 2019

AFP/Getty

44/50 19 July 2019

Nasa/AP

45/50 18 July 2019

AFP/Getty

46/50 17 July 2019

Firefighters rush to the scene to put out a fire that spread to parked cars in Jerusalem, following an extreme heat wave.

AFP/Getty Images

47/50 16 July 2019

Rescuers work at the site of collapsed building in Dongri area of Mumbai, India.

EPA

48/50 15 July 2019

A motorist drives past a destroyed house after a large earthquake that hit Surigao City, in the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines.

AFP/Getty Images

49/50 14 July 2019

French Gendarmes remove fences next to a burning portable toilet during clashes with protesters on the Champs Elysees avenue after the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France.

Reuters

50/50 13 July 2019

A recortador jumps over a bull during a contest in a bullring at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.

Reuters

Odessa police chief Michael Gerke said in a press conference: “As far as civilian casualties we have at least 21 shooting victims and at least five deceased. This was a joint effort by a multitude of departments to find this animal and bring him to justice”.

Asked if the suspect had been identified, Mr Gerke said: “He is a white male in his 30s. I don’t have a positive identification on him yet – I have an idea who he is but I won’t release that information until we’re absolutely positive.

Donald Trump confirmed he had been briefed on the incident by the US attorney general’s office, adding that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were “fully engaged”.

The attack is the latest in a string of high profile instances of gun violence across the US in August, including mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, which led to a combined death toll of 31 people

Watch more

There have been more mass shootings across the US in 2019 then there have been days in the year so far – with at least 279 incidents taking place across 244 days, according to data compiled by non-profit group the Gun Violence Archive.

A statement from Texas governor Greg Abbot said: “The first lady and I are heartbroken over this senseless and cowardly attack, and we offer our unwavering support to the victims, their families and all the people of Midland and Odessa.

“I want to remind all Texans that we will not allow the Lone Star State to be overrun by hatred and violence. We will unite, as Texans always do, to respond to this tragedy.”

The state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, said: “I am horrified to see such a senseless act terrorise the fine people of the Permian Basin. Thank you to the courageous local and state first responders who worked quickly today to stop this evil attack.”

from Moose Gazette https://ift.tt/2LocW0g via moosegazette.net

#Moose Gazette

0 notes

jenatwork · 5 years

Text

Things I want American fic writers to know about the UK

Most people here don’t say ‘mom’. Maaaaybe a few people in the Midlands (Birmingham area) might, but for the rest of us, it’s mum. In South Yorkshire you’ll hear ‘mam’, and in some parts of Ireland you’ll hear ‘mammy’. For most little kids, use ‘mummy’.

We don’t have Tylenlol. In fact, we tend not to refer to medications by their brand names. We’ll mention aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen, and so on. There are a few where you might hear the brand - Vicks (vapour-rub), Tums (indigestion tablets), Alka-Seltzer or Resolve (hangover remedy), Berocca (vitamin C, but that’s only since about 2000).

Cars have bonnets, boots, gear sticks, petrol tanks and petrol caps, glove compartments, dashboards...also, particularly in cities, using public transport is just as common as driving a car. Buses and trains abound, some cities have trams, and of course there’s the Underground/Tube. Oyster Cards are London only. London is the only place with the ‘iconic’ red double deckers, as far as I know - most other cities have buses belonging to companies like First or Stagecoach, in a variety of colours. For bonus points, have your characters sit on the front seats at the top of a double-decker bus so they can pretend they’re driving it.

Our schools don’t have Homeroom, they have Form Groups, and although some high schools do have house systems, the kids tend not to care about them much (at least not in the state comps I’ve worked in). School uniforms vary from v.smart blazers and ties, to school tie and white or blue shirt, to just a plain polo shirt with the school logo. Lockers in high schools are uncommon. We have PE, not Gym, and Food Tech (or some variant), not Home Ecc. Teacher salaries are around the national average salary. School summer holidays are six weeks long, and there are two-week breaks for Easter and Christmas, plus three one-week ‘half-term’ breaks. We also have bank holidays off, and many schools close for teacher-training or ‘inset’ days about once a term (also note ‘term’, not ‘semester’).

We don’t have stores, we have shops.

We don’t have parking lots, we have car parks.

We don’t have Olive Garden, Wendy’s, or Chick-fil-A (thank goodness). We do have Starbucks, as well as Costa and Café Nero (our other two coffee chains). Pret-A-Manger is another popular coffee-and-sandwich chain, although generally seen as slightly higher-end than the others. Our ubiquitous mid-level chain restaurants are Ask and Zizzi’s (pasta and pizza, respectively), or Frankie and Benny’s (burgers). A low- to middle-income family might go to a Toby Carvery for Sunday lunch, and Wetherspoon’s pubs are everywhere, serving standard ‘pub grub’.

We do our weekly ‘big shop’ at Tesco, Asda, the Co-Op, or Morrison’s. Sainsbury’s is slightly posher, Waitrose is the high-end supermarket, and if you can do your weekly shop in a Marks & Spencer Food Hall, you’re loaded. Budget shoppers go to Aldi or Lidl - if your story is set more than 20 years ago, poor characters would have gone to Netto. 30 years ago, they’d be in Kwik Save. Small branches of Tesco (called Tesco Express or Tesco Metro) are on most high streets. If we have an equivalent to Walmart, it’s Tesco Extra (huge superstores, sometimes split-level, that sell everything). Proper department stores are rare - some cities will have independent ones, or you might find a large branch of Marks & Spencer with all the departments. Most high streets and town centres will have all the same chain shops - small independent shops are rare and most likely found in affluent areas, seaside towns, or ‘artsy’ quarters of big cities. Charity shops are everywhere, and they are wonderful - names to know are Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research, and Barnardo's.

We don’t all drink tea - coffee is actually more popular now. At home, we make our hot drinks with an electric kettle (if you have a stove-top kettle you’re most likely posh and/or old). It’s either instant coffee or ground coffee in a cafetiere (French press). Tea bags are the norm, but teapots are for posh people and snobs like my mother. In most cases, it’s one tea bag in the cup, boiled water, and milk and sugar (or honey) to taste. Lemon tea is rare. Some people drink herbal or fruit teas, but in a fic, that should be character-appropriate.

The only time you’ll hear ‘candy’ is for candy floss (aka cotton candy). We eat sweets and chocolate bars here.

And finally, all cookies are biscuits, but not all biscuits are cookies.

#fic #localisation #long post #I may add to this the next time I get annoyed by Americanisms

0 notes

vanessawestwcrtr5 · 6 years

Text

From South Korea to IBM Food Trust

2018 has witnessed a steady increase in the number of food manufacturers and retailers using blockchains to enhance their operations. From tracking the quality of food to facilitating international trades in grain, blockchain technology has been turning up repeatedly in recent months; and while many deployments of such tech have been conducted on a trial basis, a growing number have been implemented permanently.

However, as much as it now seems that blockchains are becoming a familiar feature of the food industry, they aren’t an infallible solution to every problem it faces. Even though many blockchains will provide an ‘immutable’ and ‘trustless’ record of the distribution of certain foods, this doesn’t mean we don’t have to trust the parties that first registered these foods on them. And similarly, even though such multinationals as Carrefour are using solutions offered by the IBM Food Trust, they don’t use blockchains in the original sense of the term.

Tracking and transparency

In the vast majority of cases, blockchain tech is used by the food industry for tracking purposes, so that customers can be assured that a particular item is what it’s claimed to be. Most recently, France-based multinational Auchan revealed that it would permanently implement blockchain-based food tracking in five of the countries it operates in: France, Italy, Senegal, Spain, and Portugal. This announcement followed a successful 18-month trial in its Vietnam branch, which has been using the tracking system in conjunction with some 6,000 companies.

Auchan’s system works by registering an item’s information at each stage in its distribution. When, say, an organic carrot is pulled from the ground and readied to be transported from its farm, it’s recorded on TE-FOOD’s blockchain, and when it’s sent to a distribution plant, it can be quickly checked against the info already recorded on that blockchain, which is immutable.

Auchan’s press office manager, François Cathalifaud, tells Cointelegraph that such blockchain tech will enable it to make participants in its supply chains more responsible for the data they enter.

“This is a key point of the blockchain in a sector where data is a valuable resource. As [a] retailer, we cannot ask a producer or a supplier to give us the information without return.”

“Blockchain-based technologies solved that major issue,” he explains, since TE-FOOD’s blockchain works by requiring supermarkets, for example, to transfer tokens whenever they want their suppliers to disclose relevant supply-chain information. This incentivizes suppliers to not only produce such info, but to remain honest, since they would lose out on an additional stream of revenue otherwise.

“Another point is also to avoid data corruption that can occur during a food scandal (transparence+security),” Cathalifaud adds. “Well, at last, if a consumer is asking traceability information we can provide them with traceability information in seconds instead of days with such technology.”

Such credibility is important because according to recent research, consumers are becoming increasingly suspicious of the food industry and turning to more ethical food producers and distributors. In a September study conducted by the Virginia-based Food Marketing Institute, it was found that 75 percent of shoppers would “switch to a brand that provides more in-depth product information, beyond what’s provided on the physical label.” Distributed ledgers are a prime source of such information, and in age becoming more concerned with where our food is coming from, more companies are looking to adopt blockchain-based tracking systems.

In November, multinational retailer Carrefour announced that it would be using the IBM Food Trust blockchain to track free-range chickens in Spain, while in Switzerland, Gustav Gerig AG revealed that it would be using the Ethereum blockchain to track tuna. And in the same month, the South Korean government announced that it would begin tracking beef in January, while United States salad chain Sweetgreen said it had raised $200 million in funding to develop a blockchain-based tracking system for its ingredients.

These announcements were all made within a single month, testifying to how quickly the momentum is growing behind blockchain as a means of bringing greater transparency to food distribution. And prior to November, other organizations have outlined plans this year for blockchain-based tracking include the Dairy Farmers of America, Albert Heijn, the Netherlands’ largest supermarket chain, the Australian government, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, Walmart and Chinese retail giant JD.com.

A growing number of organizations are looking for ways to strengthen their claims that they are responsibly sourcing their products. In other words, food is becoming a more ethically and morally charged issue by the day, which is why the added transparency and the irreversibility offered by the blockchain holds such strong appeal.

This would explain why blockchain is now being used by such major NGOs as Oxfam, which announced in November that it had launched a blockchain to track the supply of rice in Cambodia, where local farmers often lack the information to bargain properly over prices.

Trading and loyalty

There is, then, an increasingly strong sense that food tracking is one area where blockchain and crypto hold genuine appeal to businesses (and consumers). But while the tracing of products will almost certainly be the main area in which blockchain tech contributes to the $5.6 trillion food and beverage industry, such tech looks set to play a slightly more limited role in other areas.

This October the world’s four biggest agricultural producers — Archer Daniels Midland Co., Bunge Ltd., Cargill Inc., and Louis Dreyfus Co. — formed a partnership through which they’ll use blockchain technology to automate the grain-trading process. As the press release states “Eliminating inefficiencies would lead to shorter document-processing times, reduced wait times and better end-to-end contracting visibility.”

Not trustless?

However, while there is plenty of demand from food distributors and producers for blockchains that trace the supply of food, it doesn’t imply that blockchains offer a fail-proof means of proving that, say, an ‘organic chicken’ is really organic, and that they would create entirely trustless food supply networks.

Initial records can be misled, the only way to stop someone from falsely registering a freshly farmed mango or chicken as organic is to have another trust-providing system or mechanism in place beside a distributed ledger. Big companies such as Carrefour, Auchan, and Walmart do have such systems in place, having worked for years with known farmers and suppliers with which they’ve built a mutually trusting relationship.

Also, even if a blockchain can’t guarantee the initial veracity of information entered into it, it can prevent anything untoward from happening further down the line, such as the addition of, say, non-organic ingredients to a supposedly organic product.

Indeed, as the U.K.-based National Farmers’ Union highlighted in a study which found that food fraud costs Britain around 12 billion pounds a year.

“Food fraud means the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering with or misrepresentation of food, ingredients, or packaging at some stage of the product’s distribution cycle. It also means false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain.”

Judging by the report, food fraud regularly occurs beyond the initial registering of a product. And the transparency and immutability provided by the blockchain could play a significant role in reducing its high cost, even if it won’t be a miracle cure.

Source link https://ift.tt/2BlY8u8

0 notes

bobbynolanios88 · 6 years

Text

From South Korea to IBM Food Trust

Tracking and transparency

“This is a key point of the blockchain in a sector where data is a valuable resource. As [a] retailer, we cannot ask a producer or a supplier to give us the information without return.”

Trading and loyalty

Not trustless?

Indeed, as the U.K.-based National Farmers’ Union highlighted in a study which found that food fraud costs Britain around 12 billion pounds a year.

Source link https://ift.tt/2BlY8u8

#IFTTT #Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin

0 notes

animalexperienceinternational · 6 years

Photo

Self care for the jetlagged. Necklace from #Kenya Vase from #Oxfam store Bike from #GiantBikes Place mat from #10000villages Sunflowers from the #local #farmersmarket . . . . . #jetlag #flowers #getonyourbike #rideyourbike #kitchen #sunflowers #sunshine #airtravel #timezones #travel #womentravel #traveltowander #wanderlust #home #cozy #England #brummie #midlands #fairtrade #shoplocal #supportartists #artisans #selfcare (at Birmingham, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnqmeIxnHBm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jywxxaz5eoki

0 notes

thesportsnewscentral · 7 years

Text

Abnormal rains washing off Britain’s Golfing — Canindia News

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) A strange increase in rainfall in Britain because of climate change has been washing off golf, football and also the best loved ones, a new report said on Wednesday.

The speed of rain-affected cricket matches has more than doubled since 2011. Across the entire County Championship, at least 175 times — around 16,000 overs –‘ve now been dropped in five of the last 10 years.

The accounts, Game Changer, published by the Climate Coalition that is made up of over 130 organisations including Oxfam, the National Trust, WWF-UK and RSPB.

Backed by some of the major sports bodies and climate scientists, it finds that increasing moist weather associated with climate change has been causing more and more scheduled game to be called off.

The trend is just set to worsen if climate change goes unchecked, warns that the report.

For cricket, this really is generating financial pressures in addition to worries about levels of participation at a grassroots level.

It has led the game’s governing body, the England and Wales Cricket Board, to set aside 2.5 million pounds annually to assist recreational clubs continue playing.

“There is definite proof that climate change has had a massive influence on the game in the form of general wet weather and extreme weather events,” ECB’s head of participation Dan Musson said in a declaration.

“Wet weather has caused a substantial reduction of fittings every year in the past five in recreational level and considerable flooding in six of the last 10 years,” he further added.

“In season, the worst year was 2007, with flooding in the Midlands and the Thames Valley. Out of now that the worst was 2015-16, when Storms Desmond along with Eva badly affected more than 50 community clubs”

The ultimate risk to the game is that progressively interrupted cricket will cause people to finally quit and do something different.

Really, nearly 40,000 fewer individuals played cricket in 2015-16 than in 2005-6, a fall of nearly a fifth.

The report says Britain’s shore is also in danger from rising sea levels and storm surges.

For a few of the UK’s most iconic golf courses, coastal erosion is getting to be a real problem. The influence on the shore is two-fold.

One of the oldest courses on the world, Montrose, has been badly affected.

At the past 30 years, the North Sea has progressed 70 metres towards the course, forcing the course to realign a few holes and depart others.

Nonetheless, it isn’t only Montrose that is compromised. One-sixth of Scotland’s golf courses can be found on the shore and therefore are in danger from rising sea levels.

Montrose has dropped 70 metres of its coastline to the North Sea and will be seeking funding to help safeguard the course, said Montrose Golf Links Director Chris Curnin.

Priestley International Centre for North in the University of Leeds Director Piers Forster said: “We’ve seen half the seven wettest years on record since 2000 and record-breaking moist winters in 2014 and 2016 with 150 per cent of the normal rainfall.

“That, combined with rising sea levels and increased storm surges, means that climate change is already affecting the historical game of golf in its birthplace,” Forster added.

“Without cutting off the carbon emissions forcing climate change, sea levels may rise by over a metre and extremely moist winters will become the norm. Many facets of our lives such as the game of golf would fight to adapt to this transformed world.”

–IANS

vg/pur/bg

from The Sports New Central Site http://thesportsnewscentral.com/abnormal-rains-washing-off-britains-golfing-canindia-news/

0 notes

advertisingsource · 7 years